The Pandemic Fund

Priya Basu is a global health and development finance executive with nearly three decades of leadership at the intersection of pandemic preparedness, health systems, innovative finance, strategic partnerships and resource mobilization. She is the founding Executive Head of the Pandemic Fund at the World Bank, where she has led the Fund’s design and operationalization from the ground up --  establishing its governance, delivery architecture, and financing model, to enable rapid scale up. Under her stewardship, the Fund has already mobilized $3 billion in seed capital and awarded grants that have catalyzed more than $10 billion in co-financing and co-investments to strengthen pandemic preparedness in over 128 low- and middle-income countries. Priya has played a pivotal role in aligning diverse stakeholders—including donor and client governments, multilateral development banks, UN agencies, civil society, and the private sector—positioning the Fund as a key driver of collaboration. 

During the pandemic, she led the Multilateral Leaders Task Force on COVID-19 (World Bank Group, IMF, WHO, WTO) improving data and transparency on medical countermeasures to support the policy response. She also spearheaded the World Bank’s engagement on pandemic preparedness and response with the G20 and G7, coordinating across finance and health. 

Previously, Priya led the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, advancing women’s economic empowerment globally. Prior to that, as Manager of the World Bank’s $21 billion portfolio of trust funds and partnerships, she shaped investments in global public goods – from health and food security to climate.  She helped design and scale pioneering health financing mechanisms, including the International Finance Facility for Immunization (IFFIm) and the AMC for pneumococcal vaccines, played a key role in establishing the GFF and CEPI, and represented the Bank as Trustee on the boards of the Global Fund, GAVI, CEPI and the Global Environment Facility, among others. 

Earlier, as the World Bank’s Lead Financial Economist for India, she helped expand the Bank’s finance and private sector portfolio tenfold—from $500 million to $5.5 billion—pioneering innovative public-private partnerships and policy reforms to advance inclusive financial systems, private sector-led growth and job creation.

Prior to the World Bank, Priya worked as an economist at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC, the Asian Development Bank in Manila, and UNCTAD and International Labour Organization in Geneva. Before that, she worked in investment banking in London. 

Priya brings deep policy and operational experience across world regions, strategic agility, and thought leadership to solving complex development challenges. She is the author of several blogs, articles in refereed journals, and books, including Creating Resilient Financial Regimes in Asia: Challenges and Policy Options (Oxford University Press), India’s Financial Sector: Recent Reforms, Future Challenges (Macmillan), and Improving Access to Finance in India (World Bank).

A respected voice in global health and development finance, Priya has helped shape international policy on health and crisis financing through influential platforms such as the G20, G7, and IDA.

Priya holds a first class B.A (Hons.) degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, and a B.A (Hons.)/M.A in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics and postgraduate degrees in development economics from Merton College, Oxford University, U.K.

Mikaël joins the Pandemic Fund from the French Ministry of Health, where he served as lead G20/G7 negotiator and as senior advisor on global health to the Director of European and International Affairs. In this capacity, he participated in multilateral discussions on the lessons learned from the global response to the pandemic and the future of global health architecture and financing. Previously, he served as Counsellor for Health and Welfare at the French Embassy in the United States (2016-2021) and held several positions in the French government: Deputy Chief of Staff to the French Minister of Urbanism, Youth and Sport, Director of Youth, Non-Formal Education and Associative Life and Intergovernmental Leader for Youth for the French Government, and Senior Advisor to the French Minister of Sport, Youth, Non-Formal Education and Civil Society from 2012 to 2016. 

He started his career in non-profit youth organizations, advocating for broader citizen participation in policy making, children's and youth rights, and innovative public policies. 

He is a graduate of the University of Rennes (Law) and the University of Paris Panthéon-Assas (Public Law and Communication).

Monica brings over a decade of experience in portfolio and office management at both country and corporate levels of the World Bank. A Brazilian national, she joined the institution in 2013 and has since supported a wide range of programs, most recently supporting analytic and operational tasks across the Health, Nutrition, and Population portfolio in West and Central Africa.

She holds an MBA in Economics and Government Relations, BS in International Relations, and Certificates from the University of Cape Town in Monitoring and Evaluation.

Selomé brings extensive experience in administration and office management from her previous roles at the Front Office of the Global Partnership for Education of the World Bank, the United Nations, and the African Union Commission.

Selomé is a native of Ethiopia, has excellent command of both English and French, and holds an associate degree from Addis Ababa University School of Commerce and Certificates from Uhuru Institute of Management Training in Cape Town and Richland College in Texas.

Alejandra is an internationalist with almost two decades of experience in both international development and the private sector.

In 2014, Alejandra joined the World Bank Group, where she has held various roles at both the country and corporate levels. She currently serves as an Analyst in the Pandemic Fund Secretariat, where she assists Board members, organizes Board Meetings, supports the Conflict of Interest Committee, and manages the Secretariat’s budget. Previously, she worked in the Development Economics Vice Presidency, supporting the WBG Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, and later she joined the Office of the President, where she was responsible of handling the President’s agenda and travel arrangements. She also worked in the Mexico Office, aiding project teams with financing projects and advisory and knowledge services.

Alejandra began her career in the private sector as an Intellectual Property Specialist, guiding clients to protect their intellectual property through patents and trademarks globally. She also managed international patent applications with the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Alejandra holds a MSc in Development Economics from the University of Manchester and a BS in International Relations from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México.

Ersegül joined the Pandemic Fund as Senior Board Operations Officer in May 2025. She works with the Governing Board, plans and organizes Board meetings, advises on governance matters, and develops governance policies and procedures. She provides support to Board members, including onboarding new members and Board constituency building and contributes to the work of Board Committees. She also oversees the process to accredit potential Implementing Entities and the preparation of the Secretariat’s annual budget.

Previously, Ersegül served as Board Operations Officer at the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) in Washington D.C., following her role as Institutional Governance and Member Relations Officer at the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome. Earlier in her career, she worked as a career diplomat with the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with postings in Russia and Kazakhstan.

Ersegül holds an MA in European Political and Administrative Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges and a BA in International Relations from Galatasaray University in Istanbul. 

Dr. Amparo Elena Gordillo-Tobar is a Senior Health Economist with over 15 years of experience as a Project Task Team Leader at the World Bank where she has prepared, managed, supervised and led innovative health financing investment Bank projects. Currently, Dr Gordillo-Tobar is the Senior Portfolio Manager for the Pandemic Fund, hosted by the World Bank, where she oversees the advances on implementation of the Pandemic Fund Projects. 

Prior to her work at the World Bank, Dr. Gordillo-Tobar was a Health Economist at the Pan American Health Organization, Project Manager for Unicef Projects, Health researcher at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the Central University of Ecuador and a health officer at the Ministry of Health of Ecuador. Dr. Gordillo-Tobar holds a Doctoral Degree in Medicine from the National School of Medicine in Ecuador and a PhD and Master’s degree from Tulane University in New Orleans. 

Alice Riedel is a consultant at the Pandemic Fund, responsible for leading the Secretariat’s 3rd Call for Proposals and supporting program and performance management efforts.  

Esben Lunde Larsen has joined the Pandemic Fund as Senior One Health Specialist. Prior to this, he worked on AMR and One Health issues in the World Bank’s Agriculture and Food global practice, and before that, at the World Resources Institute. 

Esben’s work has focused on addressing policy regulations, increasing government engagement, driving innovation, and cultivating awareness around AMR and One Health, including in low- and middle-income countries. 

Esben is a former Member of the Danish Parliament, a former Minister for Science and Higher Education, and a former Minister for Environment, Agriculture and Food in the Danish Government, where he was heavily engaged in the agenda on AMR and One Health both in the Kingdom of Denmark and the European Union.  

He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Copenhagen. 

Maggie Chase is a Health Specialist at the Pandemic Fund, where she oversees grant operations across the funding lifecycle, including the design and rollout of funding rounds, portfolio management, and monitoring and evaluation. She brings nearly two decades of experience in global health program operations, development finance, multilateral engagement, and grant implementation. Her background includes managing Global Fund-supported programs in Eastern and Southern Africa, completing a fellowship at the UN in Geneva focused on health financing, and managing global emergency response and preparedness programs. An American of Kenyan descent, Maggie holds a Master’s degree in International Development Policy from Duke University and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University (expected 2026).

Nicola Stellino joined the Pandemic Fund Secretariat in May 2023 as a consultant, responsible for supporting the 1st Call for Proposals and, as of March 2024, he covers the position of Junior Professional Associate. His current duties are to provide support and expertise to the Health Technical and Monitoring and Evaluation workstream of the Secretariat. 

In previous roles, Nicola worked at the Dutch Economic Research Center in the Competition Secretariat, where he studied new and innovative models to make economic and political predictions. 

Moreover, he was also employed at the Dutch Healthcare Authority (branch of the Dutch Ministry of Health) where he worked in collaboration with the long-term care, and the risk adjustment Secretariats to research possible reforms to improve the Dutch long-term care system. 

An Italian national, Nicola holds a B.A. in International Business Administration and a MSc in Economics from the University of Tilburg in The Netherlands.

Nicolas Isla, a microbiologist with an MSc in Technology and Innovation Management from the University of Sussex. Over the span of 15 years, he has dedicated his career to the field of global health security and public health preparedness and response. His extensive experience in WHO spans a number of areas. He was technical lead for health preparedness at major events like the FIFA World Cup and Olympics, as well as various sporting, religious, and cultural gatherings. Cementing the need for multisectoral collaboration. 

He has also operated at the nexus of health and security; Nicolas has concentrated on preparing for and responding to deliberate caused health threats. He has collaborated with international organizations such as the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, and Interpol. At the WHO HQ, he served as the focal point for alert and response under the International Health Regulations (IHR).

During the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Nicolas led WHO's operational efforts, overseeing readiness initiatives in high-risk countries and leading missions to more than 15 countries and deploying more than 500 individuals. He also led WHO's work on developing a toolkit for after-action reviews within the framework of IHR monitoring and evaluation in 2016.

In March 2018, Nicolas transitioned to the role of Team Lead for Capacity Monitoring and Evaluation within the WHO Health Emergency Programme at the WHO Regional Office for Europe. His team focused on assisting Member States in implementing comprehensive assessments for IHR core capacity building, including State Party Annual Reports, Joint External Evaluations, simulation exercises, and incident reviews. Nicolas facilitated the development and endorsement of national action plans for health security across WHO European Member States, with the goal of securing sustainable funding for prevention, preparedness, and response to health emergencies across sectors and partners.

Nicolas Isla is a Senior Health Specialist in the Pandemic Fund Secretariat coordinating and working primarily with the Pandemic Fund Technical Advisory Panel. 

Samuel Mills, MD DrPH, joined the Health Nutrition & Population Global Practice, World Bank Group (WBG) in 2004. He is a Physician and Epidemiologist with over 25 years of broad range of global expertise in health systems strengthening. He is a Global Expert on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) and led the development of the 21st-century CRVS e-Learning course, which is delivered as part of the WBG Open Learning Campus and has been taken by over 7,000 people from about 160 countries. He was the Task Team leader of the transformative project that has helped to revamp the health sector in The Gambia. On May 3, 2024, H.E. Mr. Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of The Gambia, conferred on him the Commander of the Order of the Republic of The Gambia at an official ceremony at the Statehouse, which he accepted on behalf of the World Bank Group.

Taylor Gabourie is a consultant at the Pandemic Fund, responsible for overseeing the Secretariat support of the Strategy Committee and the development of Emergency Financing Procedures

COMING SOON

Chris Armstrong is the Senior Partnerships Specialist at the Pandemic Fund, responsible for strengthening engagement with key stakeholders, including sovereign contributors, non-sovereign partners like the private sector, foundations and philanthropies, and overseeing development of the innovative finance strategy and portfolio.

Chris joins the Pandemic Fund from Plan International Canada, where he served as Director of Health. In this capacity, he was responsible for the technical oversight and leadership of Plan International Canada’s health and WASH programming portfolio as well as policy, thought leadership, partnership and business development. Chris has spent the last 25+ years of his career focused on international development and public health, spanning the globe. Prior to joining Plan International Chris held numerous roles within the Canadian International Development Agency and Global Affairs Canada, including Health Team Lead based in Tanzania and as Deputy Director in the Global Health Team. Chris has also worked as a HIV and Youth Health Technical Advisor with UNFPA in the Pacific Region and for a number of Civil Society Organisations focused on adolescent and youth health in South and South-East Asia.  

Chris obtained his Master’s Degree in Public Health from Yale University’s School of Medicine and he completed his undergraduate studies at McGill University.

Paige Snider is the Senior Partnerships Specialist at the Pandemic Fund, responsible for strengthening engagement with key stakeholders, including sovereign contributors, non-sovereign partners like the private sector, foundations and philanthropies, and overseeing development of the innovative finance strategy and portfolio.

She brings more than 25 years of experience to the role and is an experienced leader of teams that deliver strategic policy and stakeholder impact. She has a deep background in communications, advocacy, and partnerships with public and private sectors, as well as with NGOs and international organizations. After spending more than a decade designing and managing international economic development projects funded by USAID, she spent close to 15 years in China working to advance global policies and engagement with key counterparts. She spent nearly five years working for the U.S. State Department Economic Section and then worked from 2017-2022 at WHO China as the Senior Adviser for Communications and External Relations. Priority areas included policy analysis, partnerships and communications on expanding access to diagnostics, vaccines and treatments of communicable diseases, reducing risks associated noncommunicable diseases, promoting integrated and accessible ageing services, and promoting increased health budgets for basic health services. 

Paige has a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning and studied political science and economics as an undergraduate. She and her husband and daughter live in Washington, D.C.

Robert (Rob) Salerno is a global health leader and international development practitioner with more than two decades of experience designing and managing complex, multisectoral programs across 22 countries. Currently serving as Senior Health Specialist at the Pandemic Fund Secretariat (World Bank), where he co-leads the External Advisor Council and advises on program learning and performance management, Rob has previously held senior leadership roles at ICF and DAI — directing a $54 million, 16-country USAID health security program, building a 10-country AMR and pandemic preparedness portfolio, and securing more than $150 million in new grant awards. His expertise spans health system strengthening, disease surveillance, One Health, IHR capacity strengthening, AMR, monitoring and evaluation, and localization across Southeast Asia, East and Central Africa, the Middle East, and the Pacific. A Returned Peace Corps Volunteer from Fiji who accidentally landed in global health, Rob regularly presents at international conferences and write about his work.  He holds a BA from Providence College and a masters in Epidemiology and Global Health from the University of California, San Francisco. 

Anita leads all external communications efforts (including web and social media), with an objective to position the Pandemic Fund, increase its visibility, and disseminate results. This includes content creation, media and social media engagement, branding, and reputational risk management. Since joining the Secretariat in April 2023, Anita has organized high-level events at the World Health Assembly, United Nations General Assembly, World Bank-International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings, created content for the existing Pandemic Fund website, and relaunched the Pandemic Fund Twitter account. She is currently leading the development of a new external website, and planning for upcoming global events such as COP28.

Anita brings over 15 years of experience in designing and implementing communications strategies for the World Bank and International Finance Corporation, working across different sectors and regions; and focusing on advocacy, media relations, campaigns, reputational risk management, and stakeholder engagement. Previously she led communications for the Energy & Extractives Global Practice. 

Before joining the World Bank in 2009, Anita worked at a Washington political consulting firm, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. A Polish national, Anita holds a M.A. degree in Italian Literature from Warsaw University.

Jing Guo, Ph.D., has joined the Pandemic Fund as a Senior External Affairs Officer. Previously, she led communications for the World Bank’s Human Capital Project and the Chief Economist’s Office for Human Development. 

Jing brings 15 years of diverse experience spanning media relations, messaging, crisis communications, high-level event planning, stakeholder engagement, partnerships, and digital campaigns. Most recently, she led communications for the launch of the World Bank’s Crisis Preparedness and Response Toolkit, a major milestone in the institution’s reform agenda. Among her various health communications initiatives, Jing spearheaded media outreach and messaging efforts on the Bank’s historic COVID response. She also played a key role in positioning the Bank on critical health priorities, including Universal Health Coverage, antimicrobial resistance, One Health, nutrition, and non-communicable diseases.

Before joining the World Bank, Jing worked as a public radio reporter in the U.S. and as a partnership liaison for China Central Television in Beijing. She also served as a field writer for ActionAid International in rural China. 

Jing holds a Ph.D. in journalism from the University of Maryland, where she was an Eleanor Merrill Scholar and taught for three years. Jing has published several peer-reviewed journal articles on communication studies and authored dozens of World Bank Country Opinion Survey Reports, covering development issues in over 100 countries.

Brittany Scalise is a consultant at the Pandemic Fund, supporting the Communications and External Relations team on web and social media.